This week: It’s the night before…the night before Christmas, and the blu-ray/DVD pickings are slim. But some stocking stuffers off the beaten path include a mouth-watering Trip to Italy, SyFy’s time-tripping Continuum, and the flick that introduced Charlton Heston.
► A follow-up to his British TV series, Michael Winterbottom’s THE TRIP TO ITALY has Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon playing themselves for a prolonged gabfest as they travel the Italian countryside, putting off their mid-life doldrums as they eat in one incredible restaurant after another. Among the topics: Adolescent girls, Kumquats and Avril Lavigne. The food will have you drooling and checking how much flights are to Italy.
► Time travel enthusiasts have found their dream show with SyFy’s CONTINUUM, in which a group of rebels from the year 2077 make their way back to our time to stop the corporations before they ruin everything. Accidentally sent back is a cop (Rachel Nichols), who tries to stop them from mucking things up too much. Naturally, every little thing has ramifications. Canadian-made series became one of SyFy’s most highly regarded shows, but its upcoming fourth season will be its last.
► For 1,000 TIMES GOOD NIGHT, Juliette Binoche plays a war photojournalist given a choice by her fed-up husband (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau of ‘Game of Thrones’): Give up her dangerous profession, or give up her family. She compromises by taking her daughter on a seemingly safe assignment in Kenya, only to be faced with terrorist attacks. Won a few film festival awards.
► An offshoot of the apocalyptic flick ‘Legion,’ SyFy’s DOMINION has Tom Wisdom as an Archangel who aids humanity after Gabriel (Carl Beukes) gathers an army to wage war on Earth in God’s absence. The humans have fortified themselves in the former Las Vegas while waiting for a prophesied savior.
► The British flick PRIDE is the true story of gay activists who helped raise money for families suffering during the British miners’ strike of 1984, when AIDS had stuffy groups like the National Union of Mineworkers worried about associating with homosexuals. In turn, the activists take their efforts to a small mining village in Wales. Won this year’s Best British Independent Film. Stars Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton and Dominic West.
► After Dark’s SANATORIUM treads some familiar ground – a paranormal investigation does some digging in a notorious facility where local children have gone missing. Announced, acknowledged, and dumped onto DVD in short order. The makers of ‘Grave Encounters’ would like a word.
► Charlton Heston’s very first movie, 1950’s DARK CITY has him as the brother of a gambler who killed himself after a bad poker game. He decides to go after the four guys involved in the game. Pulpy B movie from ‘Casablanca’ producer Hal B. Wallis, who would go on to crank out a whole lotta bad Elvis movies. Co-stars Jack Webb and Harry Morgan would team up for ‘Dragnet’ the next year.
► Otto Preminger’s racially charged HURRY SUNDOWN (1967) was such a nightmare to make, star Faye Dunaway sued him to break a five-movie contract she had with him. Michael Caine wasn’t a fan either, telling Rex Reed that Preminger was “only happy when everyone else is miserable.” The locals in Baton Rouge weren’t thrilled with the story’s biracial friendship, and in New Orleans the crew was subject to sniper fire. All for a critically bashed flick about a bigoted canning plant owner (Caine) trying to obtain farmland from a black farmer (Robert Hooks). Jane Fonda, Burgess Meredith and John Phillip Law co-star.
Also out this week:
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SO WHAT DVD/BLU-RAYS ARE YOU GUYS STOKED ABOUT THIS WEEK?!